Mercosur vows to revive stalled free-trade talks

SLOW PROGRESS:As some South American nations favor protectionism, there are major barriers to a trade deal Brussels hopes would boost Europe’s economies

Reuters, SANTIAGO

From right to left, Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Molano, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Chilean First Lady, Cecilia Morel and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, take part in the official dinner for presidents, prime ministers and delegates of the first Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States and the EU in Santiago, Chile, on Saturday.

Photo: EPA / AGENCIAUNO / Handout

EU leaders won a promise from Argentina and Brazil on Saturday to revive stalled talks on a free-trade deal that would be a major prize for Europe as it emerges from crisis, but disputes over key issues mean a breakthrough appears distant.

At a summit in Santiago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the Europeans in a new push in the negotiations with the South American trade bloc Mercosur that is made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and Uruguay.

In a region whose economies are in better shape than Europe’s, Merkel’s persistence appeared to pay off after she met her Brazilian and Argentinian counterparts and warned them not to revert to the kind of protectionism of the 1930s that deepened the Great Depression.

“A tremendous effort has been made to install new momentum into the discussions,” EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht told reporters during the summit.

Asked if there had been a breakthrough, he said: “I think we have to be careful with that word. It’s moving on the political front.”

Five years after the global financial crisis and with the eurozone in its second recession since 2009, the EU needs Latin America’s buoyant economies. However, it is frustrated by Brazil and Argentina’s policies to protect local industry.

Both sides have now agreed to exchange offers by the end of the year on how far they are willing to go in opening up sectors ranging from services to agriculture and De Gucht said the EU will reciprocate Mercosur’s offers.

“We need to have open markets in terms of free trade and not protectionism,” Merkel told a meeting of business leaders.

“History taught us that in the twenties and thirties,” she said, flanked by the pro-free trade presidents of Mexico and Chile.

Negotiations on a trade pact with Mercosur began in the 1990s and were relaunched in 2010. If successful, the accord would encompass 750 million people and US$130 billion of annual trade.

However, talks have yet to make real progress due to disputes over European farm subsidies and moves by Brazil and Argentina to shield local industry from cheaper, foreign-made imports.

In a further complication, Venezuela became a member of the bloc last year and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is an outspoken critic of free trade.

In the meantime, Brussels has signed free-trade deals with a Latin American countries, including Mexico, Peru and Chile, exposing a split between the free-trade advocates on the Pacific side and the more closed economies, such as Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela, on the other side of the continent.

“Within Mercosur, those in favor of this agreement have won the battle,” said Gianni Pittella, vice president of the European Parliament, which has to approve the EU’s trade pacts.

Gathered at a luxury hotel in a part of the Chilean capital dotted with newly built glass skyscrapers, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos declared it was “Latin America’s decade.”

However, differences with Argentina and Brazil represent a new hurdle to a Mercosur deal, one that Germany as Europe’s top exporter is especially keen to see resolved.

Fiery, left-leaning Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, slapped sweeping controls on imports in February last year in a bid to prop up the trade surplus and keep industry competitive as labor costs soar.

According to Global Trade Alert, an independent body monitoring commerce, Argentina is the world’s worst offender when it comes to protectionist measures because the policies affect so many industries and sectors all over the world.